All of the information below is available here, on one page - it's more legible and the links work!
http://community.babycenter.com/post/a27372249/sch_faq

Welcome to the Subchorionic Hemorrhage Support Group. We are never happy to welcome new members to this group, but are glad you have found a place where you can share your stories of success and loss with women who know exactly what you are going through. A Subchorionic Hemorrhage or Hematoma is a tough diagnosis to cope with because of the lack of information that most doctors are willing to give. Doctors are most hesitant to set expectations for moms with this diagnosis because they can be so unpredictable. But, rest assured the odds are in your favor and while there is a real risk involved know that there is nothing you could have done differently to prevent it. The etiology of SCHs are unknown for the most part; we have some theories, but do not know what causes them. Managing an SCH usually means having to 'wait and see' (words we have all come to loathe) and take it easy. Your doctor may or may not prescribe pelvic rest and/or bedrest. Don't be alarmed if you are not given restrictions, because the effect of reduced activity on the outcome of SCHs is debated in the medical community. Different doctors have different ways of dealing with this diagnosis.

For those of you who are new to this group, you may still be wondering what in the world a SCH is. Please read our FAQ, below. There are also links to some articles on the internet that you may find helpful, and a list of doctos we love in the US and Canada.

SCH FAQ
This is a work-in-progress. Please post a comment or pass me a note w/ your suggestions for what we could add or change!

Welcome new members! Discovering that you have an SCH can be very scary. ER personnel, ultrasound technicians, and doctors give us a variety of prognoses, some very awful-sounding. But the reality is that often women do get through SCH pregnancies. To make things less daunting, we put together this guide. Please note that this hasn't been reviewed by a physician, but rather represents collective wisdom gleaned from women and men on this board.

What you can do to treat a SCH
When you have an SCH, most doctors will agree that you should be on pelvic rest (i.e. no sex, orgasms, breast stimulation; no exercise, lifting, straining, or going up multiple flights of stairs) if you have an SCH. Or they will tell you just to "take it easy".

There are several studies that suggest that bed rest (i.e spending all of your time in bed, often laying on your left side, getting up only to use the bathroom or perhaps to shower) and modified bed rest (i.e. a bit of moving around to get a snack, move from room to room, etc. is OK, but you spend the majority of the day resting with your feet up) are helpful for SCHs, and many women on this board will corroborate this. But, since there are no scientific studies which prove the effectiveness of bed rest, some doctors don't insist on it.

At a very minimum you should probably be on pelvic rest, and maybe on bed rest. If you're unsure about what to do, listen to your body. If you bleed, cramp, or feel uncomfortable from activity, try slowing down.

Here are guidelines about rest from a noted perinatologist: modified bed rest starting the first day of red bleeding until 2 to 2.5 weeks after the last day of red bleeding. Lie on your left side as much as possible. After that, pelvic rest and generally take it easy until the SCH resolves. New red blood puts you back down for another 2 weeks. Drink lots of water as it calms the uterus and helps to alleviate some of the cramping.

Nutrition - make sure you're getting enough iron, as bleeding heavily can cause you to lose some, also be sure to take your b vitamins and get the right amount of folic acid! Some women feel better with high-protein diets (these can help w/ morning sickness too).

Alternative remedies such as homeopathic arnica and acupuncture have helped women on this board.

Drugs: Baby aspirin, progesterone/17p shots, and Lovenox are sometimes recommended for women with clotting issues or progesterone deficiencies who have SCH. These drugs can help women who have these problems, but they are not used as a blanket treatment for anyone with an SCH. Unfortunately, there is no drug to make SCHs go away.

Try to stay calm - it's not easy when things are unpredictable, but reducing your stress will help you to heal. You can try meditation, prayer, relaxation, visualizing your SCH resolving...

Find a doctor you trust - Because it's so hard to predict what will happen with an SCH, and because they are detected more and more frequently now that women receive routine ultrasounds, some doctors will brush off a SCH diagnosis and tell you there is nothing they can do. This is sort of true - much of SCH treatment is just a waiting game. But you still might want to be followed by a high-risk pregnancy doctor, often called a "perinatologist" or "maternal-fetal medicine specialist". These doctors have more experience with SCH, often have better ultrasound machines, and know to test you for things like clotting disorders and other treatable underlying conditions which can cause SCH. A list of reccomended doctors is below.

Usually women see their regular OB or midwife and have periodic consults with a perinatologist, but some women switch to seeing high-risk OB specialists for all of their prenatal care. Of course you can stick with your regular doctor and get great treatment, but if you're not happy with it, don't be shy about asking if you can schedule a consultation with a perinatologist.

SCH symptoms
(these are just a few of the most common ones - scan the boards for more!)

bleeding - often bright red at the beginning of an SCH, and dark wine, brown, black or grey as the SCH begins to resolve. Bleeding patterns vary widely - some women start with a bright red gush and then over a period of weeks, notice that bleeding decreases and becomes more brown. Others have shorter periods of bleeding, followed by a break, then more blood.

It's hard to get used to, but many women bleed when they have an SCH, and you can bleed even when your SCH is resolving. One of the tough parts of SCH is learning to live with and not worry too much about the blood!

Brown/gray/dark blood is generally blood from an older/resolving SCH and not something to worry very much about (get your doctor to confirm this). A new bright red blood bleed is often a reason to call in and check with your doctor.

Several doctors have stated that before you reach "viability" (i.e. the point at which hospitals will try to keep a baby alive if born prematurely, it ranges from 22-28 weeks depending on the hospital) you don't need to go to the ER for a bleed unless you're filling more than a pad an hour with bright red blood or you are feeling ill/woozy/unstable from the loss of blood. But this is something you should discuss with your own doctor. If you're ever in doubt, call your doctor or midwife! That's what they're there for.

cramping - blood from an SCH is an irritant to your uterus, so cramps often accompany an SCH. It's always a good idea to discuss cramping with your doctor so that you can distinguish cramps from contractions or other signs of early labor.

passing clots - coagulated blood from the SCH often comes out in clots. They are unpleasant, and sometimes scary to see when you're not used to them, but often to be expected.

feeling tired - SCHs can wear you out physically and emotionally. Try to take time to rest to give yourself energy to heal.

What to ask your Doctor/Perinatologist (peri) about your SCH:

diagnosis
-What are the dimensions (usually height, width and depth in cm) of your SCH? Does your doctor have a sense of how long it might take for it to resolve?
(Usually the answer to this is no� Sadly, it�s nearly impossible to predict how long an SCH will last; some resolve in a few weeks, others a few months, and others persist through your entire pregnancy.)

-Where is the SCH in relationship to your placenta and the rest of your uterus? If your peri can draw a picture for you it can be helpful to be able to see it.

-Is any of the placenta detached/torn from the uterine wall as a result of the SCH? If the placenta is torn, how much of it is torn away? Does your doctor expect it to reattach? How might the tear affect your pregnancy?

-Do you have any clotting disorders? Can you get tested for them? This is particularly important if you have had unexplained pregnancy loss in the past. Clotting disorders can sometimes be treated with medication, which might help you to maintain your pregnancy.

-How often does the peri want to see you? is this enough monitoring for you to feel comfortable between the peri and your ob or midwife?

"Treatment"/restrictions
-What restrictions (bed rest, pelvic rest, "taking it easy") does your doctor recommend? what does your doctor mean by these? are they OK for you? can you fly with an SCH? Should you restrict car travel to a certain time or distance? For those of us at altitude, is it safe to go up or down a few thousand feet (or more) in elevation?

-Can you get prenatal massage or acupuncture to help discomfort and stress until the SCH resolves? Does your Dr. know of reliable massage/acupuncture practices for high risk pregnancies?

Getting through it
-Can your peri give you a sense of what to expect in terms of bleeding and cramping? how much bleeding, of what color, and what kind of cramps can you expect? What symptoms would lead you to contact him or her between appointments? What can you do to soothe your cramps if you get them?

-What might you be at risk for going forward in your pregnancy?

-Where is the best NICU in your area if you go into labor early? (hospitals vary, some consider a baby viable at 22 weeks, but 24 weeks is much more common. Ideally you would want to find a "Level III" or "Level IV" NICU in your area.) If your doctor is worried about potential early labor, when does the hospital that he/she is affiliated with consider your baby to be viable?

-What are your next milestones?

Other SCH-related issues:

unpredictability: The causes of SCH are not well understood, and what helps them resolve even less so. This means that few doctors can even give you statistics on how the SCH will change your chances for reaching viability, preterm labor, or membrane rupture - it's all unpredictable, and seems to change from woman to woman and pregnancy to pregnancy. This might help explain why each doctor and practice seems to have a different approach - some prescribe bedrest while others do not, some will monitor closely and others just have you check in whenever you have a red bleed. All most will say is that an SCH gives you more of a risk for later complications, and that the longer it sticks around the more risk you've got. This unpredictability is hard to cope with - but this is why it's good to set small goals for yourself, and celebrate each day that you stay pregnant.

what causes an SCH? Little is known about this. There are some speculations in medical literature: cardiac disease, diabetes, hypertension, thrombophilias and clotting disorders have all been mentioned, as has uterine trauma from previous D&Cs. We've also discussed it on the boards, and an unusally high number of women have had IUDs which may (??) have caused uterine damage. But this is just a theory/conjecture on our part - no studies back it up.

where is an SCH in your uterus? An SCH is below the chorionic tissue that the placenta attaches to. Many people think that an SCH is a separation in the placenta from the wall of the uterus, but that is only one possible type of SCH. An SCH actually does not have to be anywhere near the placenta, just below the chorion (i.e. the "C" in SCH, the tissue that covers your uterus, and what is shed during a period.) That is why it is important to figure out where the location is of the bleed is. If it is near the placenta or behind the placenta then it could (could... not will) cause the placenta to separate, or perhaps to detach if the SCH really grows, but if it is nowhere near the placenta then it's a bit less threatening.

What about placental tears that do not reattach: Sometimes a piece of the placenta will tear and never reattach due to an SCH. If this happens, doctors will look for signs that the rest of the placenta is compensating. If your baby is still growing on target, isn't showing other signs of distress, or an ultrasound shows that the placenta is growing in other areas, this is probably what is happening, and the detachment is less of a cause for concern. It also seems to be a bit less threatening early in pregnancy, since when your uterus expands in the first 20 weeks, your placenta often "moves" a bit with it, and can reattach then too.

Medicaid and WIC - if you are getting stung by the high cost of your high risk pregnancy, you may want to look into getting help from these programs; call or visit your local health office to find out more. When you are pregnant the income limit for Medicaid goes up, so you may qualify even if you did not before you were pregnant. Also, if you already have health insurance, Medicaid can cover the additional costs of your co-payments and work as supplement to your current insurance.

Vaginal delivery vs. c-section - you should discuss this with your doctor, but there is no particular reason why a SCH (even an active one) would cause you to have to have a c-section if you have no other complications or indications for one. Many women on this board have gone on to have vaginal births and unmedicated births.

Placental lakes - no apparent impact on pregnancies, they appear to act like varicose veins in the placenta. Look scary, but harmless. Not necessarily tied to SCH - kind of random phenomena.

Bright spots in your LO's bowel/echogenic bowel- it can definitely be an indicator of a problem such as Down's Syndrome, BUT they also pop up frequently in normal SCH babies because the hemorrhage pigment can cross the membrane and be ingested with the amniotic fluid. Try not to worry: if the bright spots appear/disappears between scans it's more likely pigment and *not* an indicator that something is wrong.

Clotting disorders-SCH can be an indication that you have a clotting disorder. A recent study suggests that patients who have SCH get a "thermophilia workup" - i.e. a full set of tests for different clotting disorders. The "good news" about clotting disorders is that they can sometimes be treated, and this can help your SCH pregnancy to remain viable. (The study is here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12658542)

HELPFUL LINKS

from this board:

SCH Stories - A thread where we can all tell our stories about having SCH. Please post and update yours!

Discussion of a new study about SCH

Some SCH comedy

from Dr. Google:

A recent comprehensive study of outcomes of SCH pregnancies
http://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/Fulltext/2010/08000/Ultrasound_Detected_Subchorionic_Hemorrhage_and.11.aspx
(Discussed on the board here: new study about SCH)

***This study has the most up-to-date (as of 2011) statistics about preterm labor as a result of SCH. The news is good: if your SCH lasts into the second trimester, you only have 5% more risk of pre-term labor than any other pregnant woman. See our discussion of this study about SCH for more details.

COLORADO
Denver: Dr. John Hobbins of Platte Perinatal in Denver (the other docs in his practice are also good). He's reputed to be one of the best in the country, has an endowed professorship named after him at the CU Med school, and is just a wonderful person. (2 recommendations!);
Dr. Henry Galan and Dr. Todd Lovegren
Dr. Julie Scott in Maternal-Fetal Medicine at University of Colorado Hospital in Denver, CO.

FLORIDA
St. Petersburg: Dr. Layla Townsend, OB-GYN who works at New Beginnings Obstetrics and Gynecology in St Pete, Florida.
Dr. Karen Raimer is a perinatologist who works at St Pete Maternal Fetal in St Pete, Florida. She also delivers at Bayfront Medical Center.

Indianapolis: Dr. William Harry (awful name huh?!) Perinatologist at St. Vincent's Women's Hospital in the division of Diagnostic Testing and Genetics

MARYLAND
Annapolis: Special Beginnings Birth Center is a practice of 4 midwives; Megan Sapp was the one that primarily saw me through the thick and thin of my SCH
Dr. William Sweeney, perinatologist is affiliated with Anne Arundel Medical Center

Bethesda: Dr. Lewis Townsend is no longer a practicing OB (just GYN) but his office will make great referrals.

Rockville: At Greater Washington Maternal Fetal Medicine, Dr. Gallagher is highly recommended. He is an AMAZingly supportive doctor who knows what its like to almost lose a child. Their practice is literally in the parking lot of the best hospital in our area, Shady Grove, so it makes it really easy for them to come over during periods of heavy bleeding, etc.

NEW YORK
Manhattan: The high-risk obstetricians who practice in the Department of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Weill-Cornell Medical Center are all fantastic and have done research on SCH. Drs. Sharma and Lee are particularly warm.

PENNSYLVANIA
Danville: Dr. Chudow at Geisinger Medical Center

Philadelphia area (Wynnewood): Dr. Eric Carlson, perinatologist at Main Line Perinatal Inc.